He had a host of offers from around the world, which included teams in the Premier League, but signing for a side in England was never an option for the 37-year-old.

"I was successful with Manchester United and I have always said I would not want to play for another English club because I have a lot of history with Manchester United," Beckham said. "It is the team that I support, a team I always dreamt of playing for and I always said that unless it was Manchester United I would not want to play for any other Premier League team.

"I am honoured by the offers I had from the Premier League teams but I did not want to play there unless it was Manchester United."

Beckham is joining a team on the up with vast resources, but Beckham is convinced he will be more than a bystander.

He said: "I have a lot of experience in the game. I am 37, I have won trophies throughout my career and played for some of the biggest clubs in the world with some of the best players in the world and am still successful.

"I am still fit. I can run around and can still play like I could at 21. I have not lost any of my pace, as I never really had a lot of pace throughout my career."